$4 dollar gas stinks

Of course it's better than $5 gas, but I really don't even want to talk about that. What you can see in Washington right now is very important. We have a major problem right now. Gas prices have DOUBLED in a year (and they really weren't very good a year ago). This has put an enormous strain on the budgets of almost every American family. Personally, I drive 30 miles each way to work. My kids go to a very good charter school that is 15 miles from my house. That's a lot of driving. That's a lot of gas.

The Democrats want to act like they care about this issue and try to show that they are looking out for the little guy, especially in an election year, so they have introduced several new taxes. The first was the CO2 cap-and-trade fiasco, which was a multi-trillion dollar tax grab on corporations, especially those that produce energy. Even the EPA (not exactly a fiscally conservative bastion) said that this would increase the gallon of gas by $1.50. More realistic estimates had it as a $4-$5 increase PER GALLON. What a mess!? Fortunately they pulled it back, not because they realized it was a bad idea but they think (and they are probably right) that either Obama or McCain would sign the bill (Bush said he would veto it). So keep paying attention next year, because we will need to SHUT DOWN the Washington switchboards with phone calls on this one. Anyway, after that failed, they tried to push through a windfall profit tax on the oil companies. Huh? How is this going to help? Are we forgetting here that oil is a commodity, therefore the price is not controlled by these companies? If they sold it cheaper it would only be gobbled up FASTER by China and India who are increasing their demand for oil by double digits each year! Plus, these companies are corporations, that are held by 401K management companies and their stock holders EXPECT them to turn a profit. So if their taxes went up (currently around 40% anyway) they would have to... cut costs to increase profit. This would mean less domestic oil (taxed at a higher rate, thanks to lawmakers) and more foreign oil, leaning more on OPEC. None of these "solutions" make any sense and they all tell you what the Libs are all about. The solution is always higher taxes and more government regulation, which is contrary to a free market system or as I like to call it, a healthy economy.

Check out the solution that the Republicans are FINALLY putting out there. Hello! Increase production! Invest more in clean energy (like NUCLEAR). Give tax incentives to business and individuals to improve their efficiency... DUH! FINALLY PEOPLE!!! This actually makes SENSE and it will work. Finally someone has brains AND a back bone.

Now the Libs will pull out their favorite old trick. Even if we open up ANWR and the gulf to drilling, that oil won't hit the market for 5 years! Which is true. But it will affect oil prices NOW because a big part of this run up is futures contracts. If the market knows that supply is going to increase... prices will come down. And... in five years they will be right.

The only way to fix this problem is to increase supply. Trust me, this whole $4 gas fiasco has increased demand for a better solution. It's out there. I know it. Companies are coming up with good solutions all the time and they are going to start coming to market even when gas prices come down. People will remember this and will want to be immune to it. I personally like this solution that has been used on trains for years now. Diesel-electric... 150 miles per gallon. Nice.

Dilbert Chimes in on mortgage bust

Matthews: sink on the Titanic McCain or jump on the life boat Obama

CM is such a hack. He lost all vestiges of impartiality back when he talked about Obama giving him "chills running up" his leg. Nice. Everyone bags on Fox News for being Conservative? Why doesn't MSNBC get a bum rap for being ULTRA liberal?

Obama talking about Iraq

Note, no teleprompter. This guy really knows his stuff (pouring the sarcasm on thick). I really hope JM is on his game when it comes to the debates. The empty suit BO stammered like this several times during the debates... okay, maybe not THIS badly, but... still.

What HAS Obama done?

Power Line blog has a great post today talking about the accomplishments and speeches of B.O. and how he mentions that John McCain refuses to acknowledge B.O.’s accomplishments. Which made me think… what HAS this man done? I mean, really? He’s gotten his law degree and he worked as a community organizer… hmmm… what else… he was a member of the IL Senate, where he did procure some valuable earmarks for people like Father Pfleger. Then of course he got elected to the US Senate and IMMEDIATELY began running for President. Other than that, I have some text of him arguing on the floor of the IL Senate that a baby isn’t really a baby unless it is full term and intentionally delivered; he did do that and claim that if a late term abortion is botched and the baby is born alive, that nothing should be done to keep it alive.

I thought Power Line wrote a great speech that McCain could use to point out all of B.O.’s accomplishments.

Senator Obama, I honor your work in the private sector for a year or two after you graduated from college, and I honor your work for three years as a community organizer in Chicago. I understand that as a community organizer you pressured
city authorities to remove asbestos from the Altgeld Gardens apartments in 1986
with at least partial success. When the on-site manager of the apartments didn't take action, you nudged the residents into confronting city housing officials in two angry public meetings downtown. These generated "a victory of sorts," you said later, as workers soon began sealing the asbestos in the buildings, even if the project gradually ran out of steam and money and even if some tenants still have asbestos in their homes, according to current resident Linda Randle, who worked with you in the '86 anti-asbestos campaign.

When you chose to quit organizing the South Side of Chicago after three years, your good deeds did not stop. You rendered valiant service by attending Harvard Law School and winning your first election as the president of the Harvard Law Review.
Your service to the Harvard Law Review did not bring an end to your remarkable benefactions. You returned to Chicago, where you won election to the Ilinois state legislature before the triumph that brought you to the Senate for the past three-and-a-half years. We all know your accomplishments in the Senate. And last, but far from least, I honor your authorship of Dreams From My Father, a memoir that has spent many weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. You, sir, have served our country with uncommon distinction.

Classic

289,650+ victims in 2006

Michelle Malkin has a great syndicated piece today where she discusses the congress’ desire to berate all kinds of sports figures and industry executives but not the executives behind Planned Parenthood who are being sued and investigated on a whole list of civil and criminal issues. Quite frankly it’s revolting. Any story I read about this horrific industry just leaves me with a hollow, gut wrenching feeling in the pit of my stomach. And rightly so. As MM points out, in 2006, this tax payer subsidized “business” performed 289,650 abortions. Over a quarter of a million children were killed and we subsidized it to the tune of 336 million dollars.

You can call or write your senators with the information here.

This link will provide you with your individual congressman’s websites which should contain contact information for their local and Washington offices. Just to be safe. Call both.

Read the article. Get mad. Call your elected officials who are signing the checks.

*** update: This link is an even better way to contact your representatives.

God is alive! His church should be too!

Being a part of a vibrant group of believers is exciting! It wakes you up and gets you going! It spurs you on toward love and good deeds (hmmm, where have I heard that before)!

Great stuff!

If you are not a part of a vibrant church I would advise you to either find a vibrant church or light a big 'ol fire under the one you are in! It's awesome! Not easy... awesome! Big difference.

Scott Hodge is the head pastor at the church where my brother, Mike is the Pastor of Worship Arts (?) A few years ago, before Mike got there, the church went through a BIG transition because they felt that was where God was leading them. The results have been tremendous. Like I said, not easy, but awesome. Scott has a great post that offers some advice to people going through the tough time of transition.

It's time

There are several pieces out there right now talking about Hillary and what she is doing in the next couple of days. This talk revolves around a few key things. #1 the primaries end Tuesday night with Montana and South Dakota voting. #2 the big meeting over the weekend to discuss Florida and Michigan. #3 Hillary plans to spend Tuesday night in NYC. Kind of strange since she would normally be at celebration speeches in the states that she will win on Tuesday. #4 Bill mentioned that this might be the last day that he is involved in a campaign like this.

All of the indicators are leaning toward throwing in the towel, or rather conceding that she has exhausted all options. There was a little talk from the Clinton camp bashing Obama about not being able to win the Hispanic vote, but... that comes on a landslide victory for Clinton in... Puerto Rico... where they can't vote in the general election. It was interesting that she beat Obama 70/30.

Funny, before this whole thing, I thought for sure she would be the nominee. I have to admit I was a little frightened by Obama and his flaming liberal record combined with empty speeches and meaningless phrases. I think the alternative media has been doing a bang up job beating him up and I think it will continue.

Personally I am hoping that McCain plays nice and sweet until the debates and then unloads on him with both barrels. His economic policies are a joke. He is a MORON (not to sugar coat it) when it comes to foreign policy. And he has literally ZERO experience on anything of substance considering he has been campaigning for president his entire term as a Senator.

The bell is ringing... the big fight is on.

An oldie but goodie

I found this one again recently and just had to post it. If you haven't seen it, it's funny.

Pfleger

If you haven't heard the name Father Pfleger yet, then you probably haven't been watching the news. I won't bore you with all of the sermon clips, but they are pretty classic. If you want to see dozens of doozies, just go to Youtube.com and search for Pfleger.



Best quote : "America is the greatest sin."



Classic.



He's a of a Rev. Wright wannabe. I'm a bit, or make that a lot surprised that the Catholic church hasn't removed this man from his position. Or fired him, or disfellowshipped him. Not for his anti-American views but for his racially charged speeches and his teaching of black liberation theology, many times using questionable (as in I wouldn't say or let my kids HEAR it) language. The man is despicable.



Although Obama passed him off as someone that was just a guest speaker at his now former church, he is much more closely associate with Father Pfleger than that. Not only has he known the man for 20 years, but he even earmarked $100K for a youth center at Pfleger's church in Chicago when he was in the IL state congress. This is a picture of the testimonial that USE to appear on Obama's webpage.














Don't bother looking there for it now, it's gone.

As I mentioned, Obama has formally withdrew from Trinity United Church of Christ, although during his statement he said, “I’m not denouncing the church, and I’m not interested in people who want me to denounce the church... It’s not a church worthy of denouncing.” Really? I would think that any Christian, American or otherwise, would and should be upset by a whole host of things said at any church spewing a liberation theology; especially one that spurs on and encourages men like Pfleger and Wright.